Pokkot Dance
by penguinfighter-d-chan
Summary: It's Speed's first case back on the CSI turf and it's not looking to be an easy one as Miami's celebutante crowds mourn the mysterious murder of one of their own meanwhile Horatio gets an unexpected gift with it a possible lead on the case
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hi there! _

_This is an intermission from the gore-and-horror-filled stories you have probably read from me. But I promise I will deliver a storyline that I hope you will enjoy! The next one, **Dog Soup**, after this is already on the works and will pick up on what **Spin, Spin Sugar** left off with Marla Ruez..._

_There is, however, mentions of botched plastic surgery, stabbing and a whole lot of shiat that will probably sound Chinese if read out loud xD_

_Horatio and the CSIs (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister (go check her original online comic out!)_

* * *

1

In a pool of his own blood lay an unknown male just outside the trendiest area of Miami, Sunset Boulevard. Alexx Woods had come first to the scene and strained her sight with the competing sunlight. Dawn was setting in its color range of oranges, pinks and blues; the victim was in an isolated condo just besides the longest lasting club on the street: the ten-year-old Club Nouveau.

"This boy bled out, Horatio. And it wasn't fast." The medical examiner stated as she plunged the liver thermometer into the corpse. She noted the skin pallor and with a latex gloved finger, traced the blood flow to the floor. "Blood flow takes at least thirty minutes post mortem to start descending; not the best way to tell time of death but pretty accurate when the blood turns purple, meaning the victim was hours without people noticing."

Caine looked around the surrounding area, noticing the growing audience of socialites. "I find ironic considering where he was located. Any ID?"

A quick search and Alexx shrugged. "Baby boy didn't bring any. Looks like a clubber though. Loose high end clothing, right down to the shoes." She turned him around and found an exit wound. "Found a stab wound but it doesn't seem consistent with a knife."

Eric Delko and Tim Speedle arrived at the scene just as Alexx removed the instrument. It was Tim Speedle's first case upon re-education and he felt just like before. Eric Delko patted him on the back and grinned. "How does it feel to be back?"

"It feels great knowing I have to work with you." Tim responded sarcastically with a sly smile. He was truly grateful that at least some people took him in, even after his death. Sure, there were bumps along the road but Speed and Delko were back to being like old times.

Horatio's kind expression greeted them both. "Gentlemen, we have a stabbing victim here at Sunset Blvd. You two know the area so try and get any sort of identification. Speed, Calleigh's on Trace so anything you find of the sort, bag and tag it."

Tim nodded and continued with his camera. Eric went on to question locals. Horatio then followed by looking into the victim's hand. This was looking to be a very interesting case.

"I'll tell you more when I get back at the post." Alexx stated as her crew took the body away.

The red-haired lieutenant stood quiet for a second and looked up into the sky. As if to get a message, he grinned and returned to work. Staring at the body one more time gave him a bit of resolve; this young man had a family that missed him.

* * *

Club Nouveau was an old hangout for Eric back when he was halfway between rookie and smartassed CSI; and there was no denying it. The club had the latter Baroque and Rococo opulence as a theme; flair and arabesque details were invested in order to capture some of the eras' promiscuity. The drinks, like the environment, were heavily dosed in absinthe and other Renaissance-inspired beverages. Even the dress code was out of sight, making Club Nouveau _the_ place for a good, literally old-fashioned, time.

Delko remembered inviting Natalia Boa Vista, the most recent addition to the team before the Louisiana incident, but she flatly denied the offer. A waitress walked into his trip down memory lane by saying,

"Welcome to Club Nouveau."

Delko couldn't help stare at the waitress; her bustier dress overflowed with her cleavage. The frills that lined every hem in the dress made the dress seem much more naughty with the added short hoop skirt. The woman was medium height, pale green eyes covered in heavy liner, her blonde hair pulled back in a mess of French curls.

"Um yeah actually. I'm CSI Delko and there's been a homicide close in proximity to this club." The Cuban then pointed at the bar. "I need to examine this place."

"A murder on Sunset Boulevard. Wow." The sarcasm in the waitress's voice was painfully obvious. In that very strip, there had been more date rapes than most of the city combined, except for Liberty City.

"I know but we're sending out officers to see if our victim was in any other the clubs here." A cocky smirk showed up on Eric's face. "Maybe you can get notoriety out of the deal."

The waitress lifted her arms mocking defeat. "Watch me stop you."

* * *

Sunset Boulevard was more or less one big club on itself; there were at least 65 nightlife and dance clubs all conglomerated in that 0.34-mile stretch. Horatio was well aware of competitive these businesses become to attract new customers, some even resorting to sabotage the other. Like the rest of the city of Miami, there was a fusion of cultures that ranged into the absurd; formal Vietnamese activity centers mingled with topless bars.

He walked around the lot, now a crime scene processed by Speed, rather uninterested in whatever socialite tried to cross the yellow tape. At a moment's notice, he saw a small depression in the spots of grass that grew. Upon further inspection, he saw it to be a sealed Zip-lock bag containing a CD demo.

_Aleshya Barton, Sweethearts' kisses…catchy._

Calleigh Duquesne was easily the first one to get to the coffee machine, as her lab results were just a sprint from the break area. While pouring herself a hot mug, she noticed Ryan slumped against the desktop. The ballistics expert served up another mug and headed in his direction. A quick nudge and Wolfe was up in arms.

"Wakey wakey, sleepy head."

"Wasn't sleeping. Just laying my head down for a second." The young man replied as he took the drink and gave it one ill-fated swig. "Damn, all black Calleigh?"

"The better to wake you up." The woman's grin was contagious as she pat Ryan in the back and went back to work. Their boss would be at the lab at any moment and they all had to be ready for whatever came in.

* * *

A/N: So how was it? Reviews are greatly appreciated


	2. Chapter 2

_A/n: Chapter 2 up!_

_Sorry if something makes sense, been taking a lot of tests and brain not completely there._

_Enough ramble, enjoy!_

_Horatio and his CSI team (c) CBS Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister_

* * *

2.

The John Doe arrived in the same way as all the other corpses that headed to Alexx's post. There was no difference between the dead socialite and the drunkard just besides it. Secondet Lainheart, her assistant for the last five months, had gotten the radio and prepped the table.

"We've got a young male, appears to be twenty years old. Has black hair, fairly tanned skin, almost perfect jaw-to-eye ratio. No recognizable tattoos though." The senior medical examiner stated while the boy angel wrote down furiously. Dr. Woods then handed the scalpel and grinned.

"Mind starting it up for me?"

With a shy nod, Sexie took the instrument and estimated where the ribcage would be located. He slapped the blade onto the skin and proceeded to make the Y-incision.

It took a minute and the entire abdomen was exposed to the coroners. The body was catalogued; the young man had consumed a considerable amount of gin, Noilly Prat vermouth, Curacao and strangely orange juice, no solid foods.

"John Doe was fully blasted before death." Secondet commented, arousing a grin from Alexx.

"Most probably. Liver was about to give in and cause an early hangover. See how swollen and saturated it is?"

The woman then skimmed the clothes and found no trace of vomit or phlegm, classic symptoms of a drink binge gone wrong. She had no such luck and started to put the clothes into a case box when she noticed something. Alexx gestured Sexie to move the light to the rim of the John Doe's jaw line. She was a bit surprised but knew what was staring back to her.

It was a small old scar, oddly symmetrical and in a very tricky place.

_Horatio's going to love this…_

* * *

Eric grinned once he saw Ryan type his eyes out. The younger man's obsessive-compulsive disorder made him prone to overworking, making for a very cranky CSI when deprived of sleep. But lately, he had been taking it to a new level.

"Hey, take a break man. You've been encrypting data for two days in a row."

Wolfe brushed the comment off and kept on his work. He knew Delko wouldn't understand…

"I'll be at the break room by lunch."

Meanwhile, Speedle arrived at Trace where a smiling Calleigh welcomed him. "Damn, I wish I had you to greet me every time I was sent to 'storage'."

"And I'm hoping that's a compliment." Duquesne replied. "So what did you get at the scene?"

"Not really much; a couple of cigarette butts, a wallet with a driver's license to one Jake Lai, and a party flier to Porta del Sol." Tim explained, rather disappointed. _First case back and all I get is trash._ "Plus, H found a CD demo just 3 yards from the scene."

That peaked the ballistics expert's attention. "Well, since you're fresh out of training, let me handle the cigarette butts while you track down who Jake Lai is and where Porta del Sol stands in the market." Calleigh said as she took the evidence and headed in a northern direction.

* * *

It took some digging and research but Speedle was able to find information about the crime scene's rival business. Porta Del Sol was a newer club that was half Nouveau's age. A Puerto Rican businesswoman named Gabriela Rumán, a native to Mayaguez, hence the name, owned it since 2002. It had caught on by centralizing itself in the Latin population and by word of mouth, contrary to the others who relied heavily on celebrity endorsements.

Horatio swung himself and a chair and watched as Tim crunched the data into something he could bring to the table. "Why is there another club's name in the vicinity of Club Nouveau?"

Startled, the CSI jumped on the spot but instantly recognized the voice. "Um, Porta Del Sol's throwing a summer's end bash two weeks from now. Fliers are scattered everywhere."

"No connection to the victim?" Caine asked, perplexed.

"Other than he could've held it in his hand, not really." A printout was spat from the printer. "But I might have the vic's identity." The CSI handed the sheet to his boss. "Driver's license found a few feet away, belongs to a guy named Jake Lai. I'm running the registration number through the city data base in case he's got priors."

The timing couldn't be better as Horatio's phone rang. A quick look and the lieutenant stood up. "Just got a call from Alexx; she's doing the autopsy and found some interesting scars in John Doe's face." He then took the license. "Keep it up, Speed."

* * *

From the observation chamber just above the morgue, the lieutenant compared the image on the card to the body below. There were some similarities but not enough to assure that the body was Jake Lai. Horatio was visibly disappointed but at least that was a lead followed through.

"Cause of death?"

Alexx looked up and responded, "Exsanguinations due to one puncture wound to the stomach. Acid leaked everywhere, probably due to staggering, damaging dilated blood vessels to the point that blood pressure alone made them burst. After that, it was a matter of time until the brain stopped receiving oxygen and finally gave out."

"How do you mean 'dilated' blood vessels?" Horatio inquired, rather confused. "You mean the victim was drunk?"

"Very; Noilly Prat, Curacao, and gin were in his stomach. The only passably healthy thing in his stomach was some orange juice." The M.E. replied. It only took a second for Caine to see what the drinks had in common.

"Alexx, those are the ingredients for a Blue Star, a cocktail made popular in one club and I'll give you a wild guess where."

"Nouveau, right?" Horatio heard Alexx smirk. "No wonder baby boy changed faces; only the rich and beautiful are allowed in."

The lieutenant did a double take. "He changed faces? You mean plastic surgery?"

Alexx grinned with satisfaction. "Sexie and I think it's best if we get another doctor's opinion before we do anything."

Horatio's face lit up. "I know just the man for the job."

* * *

A/N: So how was it? Reviews are welcome


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for the reads!

Next chapter up and I do hope it's to everyone's liking (continues research about plastic surgeries and consequences)

Horatio and his team (c) CBS Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister

* * *

3.

Daikonran Kino wanted to be anywhere but the Dade Memorial hospital in that moment. He loathed handling interns, especially those who had the misfortune of being spoiled to the brim. It was his day off as crime scene investigator and he ended up stuck teaching the little ignorants about prostate examination.

_Someone please shoot me, I'm begging you!_

In his mind, it was the Chief of Medicine's way of getting back due to the unauthorized reversal of a cardiovascular angina procedure or something that tainted the man's reputation. _For God's sake, this is a public hospital!_

Horatio signed into the visitors list and sprinted towards the Japanese doctor. But before he had a chance, a crowd of blue-scrubbed people ganged up onto Kino; all asking terms that Caine made sure he'd look up when he came back to the lab.

"Welcome to my Hell." Kino said, spotting the lieutenant from the prissy group.

"How's this any different from the lab?" Horatio smirked, realizing now that the attention had shifted all onto him. The CSI had come into the sanitarium in order to get Kino's medical opinion on the subject of his John Doe. Alexx suspected plastic surgery had been done, therefore altering the unknown's identity.

"Why are _you _here?" a red haired woman, her eyes shielded with thick glasses and two horrendous pigtails chided.

"Keep your granny panties on, Sheila. He's a personal friend of the doctor, so if I hear another peep out of you, you'll head straight into Psych ward and deal with Poncho." Daikonran threatened with a grin on his face. "I heard he has the runs today."

The snobby intern pursed her lips, she wasn't about to change adult diapers that day. Horatio held back a laugh and the irresistible desire to ask who was Poncho; he had serious business to attend to. "Kino, I need you at the lab."

The doctor shrugged. "No can do, Caine. I have to teach the intern swarm over there how to do a prostate exam."

"Is that the only thing you have to do?"

Daikonran scratched his head, rather defeated. "I think so, I already attended today's patient roster, and so I'm on call."

Horatio smiled before patting Kino's shoulders. "Then let me worry about molding their feeble minds."

The doctor leaned back against the nurses' center; he had to see this. The lieutenant was obscurely known among his coworkers for his stubbornness. Caine cleared his throat, successfully catching the interns' attention, and put on a pair of latex gloves. He then made a ring with his left index and thumb, and extending the right index and middle fingers up straight.

"Here comes the choo choo train."

With a slight cock to his head and a proverbial grin, he shoved the two free fingers in the ring, as if simulating a real prostrate exam. After a few seconds of wiggling and invisible touching, he slowly removed the fingers and took off the latex gloves. Both Kino's jaw, along with everyone else's, dropped to the floor.

"Any questions? Or do I have to show you how cops perform anal searches in prison?"

A couple of interns shook their heads, embarrassed that a civilian knew more about medicine than they did. Their heads hanged low while Kino had a good laugh as he signed off. "Ok, whatever it is you need; it must be worth you showing these people up."

Horatio looked at him with a serious tone in his eyes. "How good are you at spotting a surgery?"

* * *

Calleigh was already halfway done processing the cigarette butts when she noticed Ryan's fervent pacing. She had been worrying about her coworker's state of mind; he seemed out of it lately. The first day Speedle came back into the force, both Ryan and Boa Vista were shaken at the short length of time it took for him to to simply move up back to his old position. The ballistics experts made a mental note to accompany Wolfe to lunch in order to get some answers and try to set his mind at ease. But now she had remaining stubble to finish up.

To start off; the three cigarette butts were not a common brand but an expensive type found in small boutiques in the trendier part of South Beach named Taverna. With a 24-smoke box ranged around $45, the brand was common to see in, not surprisingly, young hot people with cash.

On the other hand, there were two sets of DNA found in the chemical filters, as Valera later explained to Duquesne. One matched John Doe but the other was an unknown male. By the time displaced, the cigarettes were consumed just an hour prior to death, putting the mystery man in a very uncomfortable position.

_Better run him through CODIS just in case…_

Horatio still had the mischievous grin on his face as he and Kino entered the hospital. He made a quick stop to Ryan's post and dropped off the CD he had found.

"I want a full report on who this miss Aleshya Barton is and a search on the fingerprint that's on the plastic cover." He ordered while handing the item over.

"Thanks, H." Ryan quietly replied while getting his fingerprint kit ready. Like Calleigh, Caine noticed the change in the younger CSI, suspecting that it might have something to do with Speedle's ascension. He wished no harm on nobody but Tim was eager and willing to go back to a sense of normalcy by returning to work.

"Mr. Wolfe, is there something bothering you?" A quick shake of the head and Ryan went off to process the evidence. Horatio decided to leave it at that and began his way into the morgue with Daikonran.

* * *

At the coroner's post, Kino smirked half-heartedly. With his trained medical eyesight, he spotted each surgical incision made on the John Doe like sore thumbs. As a general practitioner, it was part of the job to notice such things in case of an infection or chemical run-off in the bloodstream.

"I can already see 10 procedures."

Horatio looked at him incredulously. _Damn that's good!_ He led the doctor into Alexx's post and slipped on his lab coat. Kino placed a small peck on Secondet's lips to greet him, making Alexx clear her throat. With a mock glare she pointed at the corpse and said,

"We do have company, remember?"

"And you're being a pain in the bum." Kino retorted.

"I like that word, bum. A more refined way to say ass." Dr. Woods then lifted the surgical napkin to show John Doe in his natural state. Daikonran was astounded at the amount of cuts and incisions in the young man's body; he counted 234 in all.

"So, what's the damage?" Horatio asked.

"I see at least a couple of facial implants; chin, cheekbones; breast plate enhancements, even a sculpted six-pack just to name a few. Most of the stuff is centered around the upper part of his torso; lower half's gone to the dogs." Kino proposed while watching intently.

"Do you think we can reverse the processes in order to get a positive ID?" Caine inquired once more, getting a nod as a response.

"It is possible but it is going to take a while. Rigor is starting and the skin must be tensing up." The doctor answered as he grabbed a blue felt tip marker.

"Oh don't worry about keeping us busy." Horatio replied with a humorless smile.

"This was definitely worth you performing that demonstration."

* * *

A/N: So how was it? Reviews are welcome


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Chapter 4 is up and thank you for the reads!

Paris Hilton wannabees are taking over the world, and Horatio knows it...(runs screaming into the night)

Also, the word _Kongch'algwan _means police officer in Hangul, _pokkot_ means cherry blossom

Horatio and his team (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister

* * *

4.

As Kino worked on the corpse's reconstruction, Eric handled the member list from Club Nouveau he had gotten from the club owner, a Jean Louis Riviere from Le Harbré in Northern France. Jean Louis was a man of considerable wealth due to an inheritance he had received seven months prior to the opening of his first club, The Louvre, located on Daytona Beach. After the miserable failure of this club, he decided to play it safe and constructed Nouveau while the next paycheck came in. Using his dearly departed father's influence, Riviere brought in European supermodels to attract attention to the fledging enterprise, a move that paid off successfully.

_Most of the members are just like L.A.; socialites, heirs, starlets and aspiring musicians…_

Two names were picked up; Jake Lai and Aleshya Barton were also members of Club Nouveau's VIP list. In that same moment, Speedle walked into the post, hoping Delko had something to offer. "Tell me we have something on that place."

Eric smirked, "You tell me what you have."

Tim sighed sarcastically as he replied, "Apparently there's a club war between Porta Del Sol and Club Nouveau but it's circumstantial and we all know the value of that in a search warrant."

"Maybe we do. Did our victim have any Porta Del Sol propaganda on him?"

Speed nodded in response. "A poster I found just got tested and came out positive for his fingerprints. You think this was done by Nouveau's management?"

"Nope but it did get us a look at Porta Del Sol's VIP list."

* * *

Ryan's computer chirped and the results from his fingerprint analysis were spat out of the printer. There was no match on AFIS. Ryan exhaled defeated, watching as Tim enter his post and resume working. His main worry had been that he had gotten his CSI job because Speed had died. No one ever thought he'd actually come back. He shook his head momentarily; why would he think that he'd be competing against a dead man?

Another chirp was heard and this time, it was good news for Wolfe. Aleysha Barton, a Miami celebutante just arriving at the ripe old age of 21, popped into his monitor screen with a full address and contact list. The Caucasian female had been in the system due to a DUI during the White Christmas party the previous year. Ryan tore the paper from the stack and headed into Horatio's office. He found his boss looking over crime scene photos and medical reports.

"H, I got Aleysha's contacts. She lives in a penthouse over at the Il Palazzo Hotel in South Beach. She's a DUI and a VIP member of Club Nouveau. Her mom's Romaine Barton, illustrated fashion design and self-denominated couture queen."

Horatio grinned as he stood up from his chair. "Well then Mr. Wolfe, let's pick up the princess."

* * *

Calleigh's DNA search yielded no results as of the moment when she decided to call in some complementary help. Until Alexx and Secondet could confirm John Doe's identity, there was no way to check for purchases in credit cards. She rubbed her fingers against her temples, relieving the headache she had._And where is that knife?!_

Calleigh looked into Speedle's crime scene photos and evidence inventory, but there was no such murder weapon. Even more so, there was only the victim's blood on the scene; meaning the weapon had a sealed hilt. The woman breathed in and voted to accompany Eric back into Sunset Boulevard, to meet Gabriella Rumán personally.

* * *

Finding the woman was the easy part, getting Aleysha Barton to talk was a bit more complicated. Ryan had located her at the trendy spa _Nevaeh_ just a minute's walk from the party circuit. She was inside in a tanning bed while her financially endowed friends carried on with massages and facials._Great…_Wolfe thought at the possibility of having to talk to these girls. 

The only protection the young women had from paparazzi and prying outsider eyes were flimsy sheets that flowed in the wind; the spa was a tropical cabana made of cement and decorated with calculated vines and plants that crept upwards. If Caine didn't know better, he would've believed that a slice of Eden's flowers descended from the sky.

With outmost care, Horatio turned the whirring machine off and lifted the lid. He never took off his sunglasses as he faced a very miffed socialite. "Someone your age should be hitting the beach for the thing, not fake bake."

"Who let the Crypt Keeper in?" Aleysha's eyebrow cocked behind diminutive goggles. Horatio grinned humorously while extending his hand.

"I apologize if I'm not aesthetically pleasing for you." Instantly, the lieutenant showed his badge, shutting whatever witty comeback the girl had. "I do have to work for a living. Lieutenant Horatio Caine, Miami-Dade Crime Lab."

Ryan tapped on the rest of the massage givers and proceeded to show the badge and present himself. "I'm CSI Wolfe, we're with Miami-Dade and we'd like for all of you to come with us to the lab for a few questions." Four surprised faces looked at each other but decided to comply. As the quintet clothed themselves, the younger crime scene investigator took a look around the spa while Horatio remained in place.

Nevaeh was a place that was supposed to exude calm and tranquility but all it had was carefully placed propaganda. So far, the place fit the rest of the evidence found on John Doe; the spa's many services ranged from a whopping $450 for a manicure-pedicure treatment to almost two thousand dollars for the full treatment of exotic herb rubs and body massages. It was a luxury only the 12 of the Miami population could afford and flaunt.

Ryan speculated John Doe's last hours on earth were spent showing off his wealth with others like him. _This is looking to be a hate crime…_

After placing the girls in county vehicles (much to their dismay), Horatio signaled Wolfe to carry on to the lab while he remained for a while longer, obtaining whatever DNA they had left. He differed from Wolfe's line of thought in a key sense. He remembered the CD and he knew that the murder had something to do with the celebutante group. It had to.

* * *

Back at the lab, Officer Gladys Montoya was making her rounds when a certain closet door shook. Recognizing it, she whacked it once and calmed the vengeful ghost of Silvia Hong-Kim. She then headed back to reception, to her normal position. Gladys was proud to be security for the lab, through the good times and bad. Bad implied the big Internal Affairs investigation. Gladys took no crap then and she wasn't about to start now.

As she posed, Montoya spotted an elderly figure making his way up the floor with a package that seemed to be twice his height. She rushed to help the Asian looking old man to carry the package but he stubbornly refused, stating he could take the flight of steps left. He did allow the security guard to show him the way into the reception area. The old man bowed in gratitude and hobbled his way towards the desk. With a broken English and a heavy Hangul accent, he answered for whom the package was for.

"Kongch'algwan Horatio Caine."

* * *

A/N: Reviews are welcome


	5. Chapter 5

A/n: Next chapter up

Sorry I take so long with updating, finals are coming

Horatio and his team (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) me

* * *

5.

Daikonran wiped his sweat from his forehead but he continued on with his reconstructive work. In that moment, he had removed a cheek implant attached to the bone by unscrewing the surgical nails. Maxilofacial changes to the jaw line could not be reversed but a quick massage on the facial muscles and the tissues softened.

The bloody face show was over, some of the scarlet splashing into his scrubs. Little by little, John Doe's face grew softer as plastic and silicon were slowly taken away and stored into small boxes. Kino knew that he had a long way to go but he continued on while Alexx catalogued every implant with labels.

_This young man had a lot to hide if I'm still 15 reconstructed._

When he was about to make the incision to remove the six-pack, Kino took a quick look at the fatal wound and spotted something peculiar around it. It was starting discolor in a yellowish, pus like color.

_This formation looks postmortem; it can't an infection…_Daikonran frowned through the surgical mask. Taking a swab and a fresh scalpel, the doctor scrapped along the lesion and collected the remains that fell out. Once the gash was clear, Kino then spotted a small glitter within the deep red of muscles. _Hello…_

* * *

Horatio entered through the back door, the quickest way to the interrogation room where one of Aleysha's friends, a Lizbeth Peters, awaited nervously. Her face was heavily made up, her brunette hair tied back in a loose ponytail that cascaded into her spaghetti strap blouse. Caine couldn't place it but he felt as if he had seen the socialite before.

"Ms. Peters, do you know your right for an attorney?" Horatio asked softly, trying to soothe the girl's nerves. One look at her fearing eyes, she obviously couldn't have been his killer; she did, however, have something to hide.

"Yeah, I asked my daddy." Lizbeth replied now terrified. "H-he's a big lawyer. He works upstate."

_Aw shit._ The lieutenant mentally slapped himself, his head looking straight to the floor. Roger Peters, one of Tampa's most illustrious defense attorneys was the suspect's father. Peters was known to use the tiniest fault or defect in the prosecution and practically maul the case. Most of his clients would get the minimum penalty, no matter the case. Horatio took a bit comfort in that, over Roger's practice; he only defended robbery and domestic cases, never a murder.

Lizbeth shivered for a second before saying. "But I can still help right?"

Caine looked at the girl, slightly perplexed. "Um, sure. Go ahead."

Lizbeth lowered her eyesight to her Gucci shoes. "I wasn't supposed to be at Club Nouveau last night. I'm sixteen."

"That's a misdemeanor, Ms. Peters. You're looking at license suspension and community service." Horatio replied sternly. Another case of underage drinking. "Why were you there?"

Lizbeth looked at the rest of the celebutante group and shuddered. Horatio assured the girl that the walls were soundproof. "My sister forced me to go. She said I needed to live up a little. The club was having this Anniversary bash and everyone of her friends was invited." She then rummaged around her handbag and placed an invitation on the glass top.

The gothic details were substantially different from the club itself; a bleeding heart with black curls surrounding the date and RSVP section. The card itself was five inches long, three wide, made of semi gloss paper. Other than that and it would've been another scrap of paper.

"So you were given a christening on the fast life?" A nod and Lizbeth broke down. "I'm sorry I'm not much help; Fiona's smarter than I am, prettier than I am…" Horatio raised his hand, stopping the self-inflicted tirade.

"I don't know you or your sister so I'll judge that myself." A kinder expression took shape as the female officer took the girl away. Horatio then caught the other girls showering Lizbeth with poisonous looks and what looked like off-hand comments. _A regular catfight in the making._

"Oh yeah lieutenant, you have a package over at reception." The accompanying officer informed while closing the door.

_Oh really?_ The lieutenant made a mental note to pick it up once his interview with Miss Aleshya Barton was finished. He looked to his watch and estimated that by the time he was down with the formalities, both her parents would be up to his neck playing the lawsuit card.

* * *

Eric and Calleigh stuck out in the florid landscape that was Porta del Sol; the club was emulating the Puerto Rican essence with sterlitzia flowers and tropical backgrounds abstractly painted upon the plaster walls. Madonna's "Die Another Die" repeated in a low baritone as the clean-up crew kept to their work. Gabriella Rumán was a forty some woman who carried herself with pride and ease; no work was done to her cinnamon face, making her emotions all the more clear.

"Officers, welcome to Porta del Sol. How may I be of assistance?" she asked while drinking a lightened version of a Margarita.

Calleigh spoke first, breaking any animosity with her cheerful but business tone. "I hope you can. We need your VIP member list, in order to corroborate our victim's presence."

"So I've heard; Nouveau's looking to have a bit of a roadblock with what I've heard from my staff." Rumán leaned back for a second to reach her legal briefcase. She handed over the requested list and a flier. Recognizing the stare she got, the business owner stoically responded,

"I'm only doing my civic duty."

* * *

A/N: Reviews are welcome


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sixth Chapter up and I must leave this as a warning:

PLEASE DON'T BASH RYAN HERE! Better yet, DON'T BASH ME!! I'll explain his behavior soon enough!

Horatio and his team (c) CBS, Daikonran Kino and Secondet Lainhart (c) my sister (check out her online comic _Nightmare's Tragedies_!), plot (c) me

* * *

6

Tim mumbled under his breath as he typed in the socialites' data. He could've been at Porta Del Sol had a certain (possibly menopausal) Internal Affairs officer not caught him trying to leave the lab. Rick Stetler had warned Horatio early on that Speed was to never leave the sanctum of the crime lab or there would be consequences. Instead, the crime scene investigator was forced to acquaint himself with the other members of Aleysha's troupe; Ami Kousei and Rebecca Straight.

Both were already standoffish when he arrived with a manila folder. "My parents are going to close you down." Ami sniped contemptuously while fiddling with her Sidekick V.3 phone.

"Of course you are, considering each one of you and your friends are already in the system for something." Speed stated as he took out a list and read it out loud with a grin in his eyes. "Solicitation, driving under the influence, possession of marijuana, indecent exposure for a Miss Straight and for a Miss Kousei; racketeering, solicitation and DUI _again_, aggravated assault on a fellow bimbo and multiple counts of possession of an unregistered weapon."

The CSI reclined against his chair and looked directly towards the young women. "I don't hear any denials so I must be saying the truth." Rebecca rolled her eyes annoyed as Tim asked, "You get bored spending your parents' well-earned cash?"

"When you have the money to do anything, what else is there?" Rebecca replied, causing Ami to grin. "All we ever did were misdemeanors, I checked."

Speed sighed; these girls were walking headaches. He then took out a picture of John Doe and laid it on the tabletop. "Up until now. One of you or your little friends killed this guy by stabbing him. That's a crime punishable by prison or death, if you haven't checked."

Both girls paled momentarily but Rebecca quickly recovered. Her smile turned wicked as she returned the stare. "Mr. Speedle, my dad owns a manufacturing enterprise of about $350 million per year. How much money do you think it costs to buy people into forgetting little incidents?"

The CSI glared, disgusted at the proposition. "First off; if you're trying to bribe me, it isn't working. Second, that would've been the moment you should have asked what the hell I was talking about." He then signaled the police officer to take the girls away. Tim was satisfied but he had one more thing to say to Miss Straight.

"There isn't enough money in the world to buy yourself some dignity or my loyalty."

Rebecca's reply came as a surprise. "Of course there is."

* * *

Horatio was about to enter the interview room but something in his mind shied him away from Aleshya Barton. At least for the moment. There was indeed a package awaiting him, placed neatly in front of his office door. It was a bit bigger than his initial perception but regardless he picked it up and placed it on his desk. The handwriting was composed of carefully stroked pictograms, possibly Chinese or Japanese. The note attached to it was hastily written as if by a five-year-old but the message was clear:

_This is a mere trinket compared to our community's gratitude for laying down our youngest daughters' killer._

Horatio's memory regressed to a possible source of the appreciation; it was the conviction of a man believed to have brutally sodomized and killed a thirteen-year-old girl named Sei Pinrang over at the Chinatown district. The perpetrator had been a resident of Liberty City who, after the arrest just a few weeks prior, confessed to have murdered three more adolescent girls from the same district. The lieutenant remembered the silent vigils that crowded the district attorney's office until a verdict was passed. It had been his case, his team, who worked it to the end.

Horatio tore the brown post paper cautiously, revealing a rather large white box covered in foam stuffing. With the same precaution, Caine lifted the lid and took a look inside but suddenly slammed it back. _No freaking way…_

* * *

With timely fashion, his cellphone rang; the number flashed belonged to the Coroner's office. Horatio quickly put the opened package away under his desk but not before taking another look to it. He then rushed next door, his surprise still in his face. Daikonran and Alexx, who both hid the John Doe under surgical napkin, greeted him with smiles.

"We have good news, H." The senior coroner commented as she removed the napkin to reveal a completely different corpse. Horatio could grasp the drastic change as he noted the pile of bloody parts and contraptions removed from the body.

"After removing all the face plates, abs molds and, to quote Dr. Woods, bum implants; we were able to match our John Doe to the license picture Speedle found." Kino looked the lieutenant as he stated, "Meet Jake Lai, age 21, son to Mary and Dan Lai."

Horatio quickly noted the grin in Kino's eyes and smirked himself. "But you have something else to say?"

The grin became mischievous as the doctor replied smugly. "Correct; upon closer examination of the fatal wound, Dr. Woods and I found small metal shavings around the second layer of skin. We also found what appears to be an organic compound reacting with the skin tissue."

"To summarize what's next, the murder weapon had a garnish of potassium and charcoal." Alexx concluded as she looked in the lieutenant's eyes. Like his expression, they smiled.

"Meet me at the conference room; I'll have a little show and tell for you."

* * *

Ryan was again pacing around his workplace when Speedle came out of the interrogation room. The CSI was now furious; someone had misplaced his folders and now the girls' contact information he had scrunched had disappeared.

_Now what am I supposed to show to H?!_

Tim grinned and sighed welcomingly. "You need some help there, Wolfe?"

"This is just perfect! A dead guy wants to help me find my evidence!" Ryan vented, unaware of Tim's benign expression and desire. The papers fluttered as he rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"Just thought I could help." Speed chided, snapping whatever verbal restraint Ryan had. His anger was random and the older crime scene investigator suddenly became the focus.

"You want to help? Go back into that hellhole you crawled out from and rot for all I care! You're a walking corpse anyways!" Wolfe lashed out. In that split moment, Speed's heart froze and a flood of doubts entered his mind, poisoning his stability.

Ryan stormed out of his lab, leaving an emotionally paralyzed Tim in his wake. Almost automatically, the man collapsed onto a chair, his stare blank but his mind hesitant.

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A/N: So how was it? Reviews are welcome


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thank you for the reads and sorry for the long absence!

Horatio and his team (c) CBS, Daikonran Kino and Secondet Leonhart (c) my sister

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7.

It had been eleven hours since the case was opened but the conference room was alight with activity. Eric and Calleigh sorted out their findings from Porta Del Sol; the V.I.P. lists for the upcoming summer event was covered in highlight circles and crossed-out names. Among those picked from the list were the girls found in the Nevaeh Spa, each for their endless spending limits.

Just beyond the glass doors, Horatio gulped down a small pill with a heavy drink of water, causing him some discomfort as it landed in his stomach. Secondet had prescribed the holy-water based meds to calm down the frequent blood coughing and the ever-present possibility of another lung collapsing. Caine had neared to losing one of said organs during the Thompson case, while driving to a suspect's home; he decided one close call was enough. His illness came from vampiric hemophilia and blood poisoning; in other words, he was bit by the undead. Horatio shook off the ensuing nausea and entered the room.

"What do we have up to now?"

Calleigh snapped out of her conversation with Delko and handed her boss the Porta de Sol evidence. "All of our suspects belong to both clubs' exclusive lists."

"What's more is that everyone involved in this case has their name in the system. Jake Lai was charged with possessing 30 grams of marijuana last year, got off by 'good behavior', and attempted assault against a showgirl in Shiva Club over at Coral Gables." Eric continued while presenting his boss the omniscient manila folder."

"Speedle also found some cigarette butts near the crime scene. DNA is already processing and up to what I've got; it's an unknown male. A bouncer, maybe?" The ballistics expert added while putting away her report.

"And thanks to Mr. Wolfe, we also have girls' misdemeanor records." Caine stated, his hands rubbing his temples in a circular manner. He took silent notice that Tim had yet to arrive and update his situation. Looking at his watch, the lieutenant realized he was postponing the inevitable interview with Ms. Barton. Nonetheless he waited and listened to what Ryan had to say.

"I sent for a background check on the Lais; turns out the father's an assistant executive in the Miami division of Universal Records, Caught Up music."

"That would explain the demo CD." A sigh and Horatio skimmed through photos, analyzing the next order of business. "I'll try to extract any relevant information from the interrogation. Calleigh, keep going with those cigarette butts with a nationwide scan. Eric, go down to Alexx's post and pick up the body picture; the Lais have been notified and need to ID the corpse. Ryan, I need you to go with Eric and pick up Kino's fatal wound analysis the coroner's office with Secondet."

The anomaly kept irking Horatio's train of thought until he finally asked, "Has anyone seen Speed? He was supposed to present the results from Kousei's and Straight's interrogations."

The hair on Wolfe's neck stood on end as he remembered his blowout just a few minutes prior with said crime scene investigator. He quietly acknowledged his mistake and decided to apologize properly the next time he saw Tim. Once Caine suspended the impromptu conference, everyone spread out in different directions across the lab. _Time to meet the beast…_

* * *

"Ms. Aleshya Barton, I understand that this is not the first time you've graced this police station with your presence." Horatio began, quickly annoyed by the sound of popping gum. Aleshya was something plain attempting to be beautiful. Her multi-layered blonde hair revealed its brunette roots; her heavy make-up caused her face to be that of a glamorous clown. Aleshya's manicured nails tapped irritatingly on the glass top.

"Yeah, so?" She spat as a response, lounging against her seat.

Caine tried in vain to suppress a knowing smile. "I also take it that you have recently tried to jumpstart your musical career."

Aleshya's head swerved arrogantly. "Did my song hit the radio already?"

"Not quite." The lieutenant then presented the crime scene photos that placed the disk on the site to the spoiled brat. Aleysha's eyebrows cocked disdainfully. "Oh."

Just as Horatio opened his mouth, Ms. Barton quickly cut him short. "I was at the party over in Club Nouveau, giving VJs my demos."

"That's convenient." His normally blue eyes grew steely, eyeing Aleshya's movements. Like a doctor's, criminalists were trained to spot discrepancies in speech and behavior. And to the lieutenant's opinion, this woman was a bit too relaxed about the questioning, too omnipotent. "Was this one of the VJs you were interviewing?"

It took two seconds for Ms. Barton to turn on the waterworks after Horatio handed his copy of the autopsy picture before Kino's surgery reversal. Through dramatic mopping, she was able to sob, "Is that Jake?"

"Was he a friend?" A quick sniff and Aleshya nodded. Hearing the familiar squawking of a rich mother coming to bail out her daughters, Horatio concluded the interview by asking one last question.

"Ms. Barton, do you know of anyone who would want Jake Lai killed?"

Almost as quickly as the tears came; they disappeared as Aleshya recognized her mother. "Try anyone who's been rejected by his parents' label. He wouldn't know talent even if it was in front of them."

* * *

Romaine Barton was a sight for sore eyes as she stormed into the interrogation room; too many facelifts and Botox made for a disturbingly blank face. Her thin mouth was stuck in a proverbial smile along with her excessive make-up.

_And she called me the Crypt Keeper! Jesus freaking Christ!_ Horatio thought as the barrage of insults blasted through the door.

"Why is my daughter here?! She's done nothing wrong!" Romaine yelled loudly. "My daughter has been a model citizen since her DUI; this is bordering on harassment!"

"Ma'am, we're trying to clear your daughter's name in an ongoing homicide investigation." Caine replied calmly. "We would be grateful if there is anything she could do to help the case." A headshake and the accompanying guard escorted both mother and daughter out of the interrogation room.

Horatio could practically smell the witness-discrediting affidavit that would come twenty-four hours later, giving the case an ultimatum; either find the murder weapon and unearth incriminating evidence against the girls or the case goes out the window. He could also see the forming mob scene of reporters just waiting to get the scoop; a socialite's murder would pay more than $400, 000 if a reporter got his hands on any information. But for now, Horatio shifted his attention towards finding where Speedle had run off.

* * *

Speed found himself sitting against the locker wall, hidden from sight as others went on with their daily lives. For two months, he tried to adapt to a new lab as quickly as he could. It wasn't just the changes brought upon Boa Vista's donation; his coworkers had changed as well. Tim could sense the stares he got while doing his job and he knew they had nothing to do with evaluating his performances. His inverted eyes gave away the fact that he had died. Frankly, he felt useless against Horatio's new team; Ryan's blowout just validated it.

Speedle's head looked down; just three months he was just a mindless assassin for Marla Ruez, now what? A light tap on the ceramic tiles and the crime scene investigator was met with familiar kind eyes. "Room for one more?"

Horatio sat on the bench next to Speedle while the other man quickly regained his composure. "Sorry I didn't report to the conference room; the evidence wasn't adding up." Tim reacted as he handed his file to Caine.

"No worries." Horatio replied, browsing the papers for a moment. "But I take it that's not the reason you're here and not working on the case."

Speed smiled sourly. "What's the point? Boa Vista can do it faster than I could." "And you base your criteria on what, if I may ask?" Tim sighed, "For one thing, she's alive and up-to-date"

Horatio understood what was bothering Speed and smiled. "I could've done that on any other case but not this one."

Now it was Speedle's turn to ask. "And why is that?" Horatio replied, "Because it's your first back, isn't it?" The lieutenant stood up and helped his partner stand up. "Besides, I trust you to do a good job. You're a valuable asset to the team in more ways than you think."

Speed nodded and went back to his workstation while Caine stayed for a while to contemplate their conversation. He voted against looking for whoever shook Tim Speedle into doubting himself for the time being; outside, the media circus was about to begin.

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A/n: Reviews are welcome


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: The next chapter is up and running!_

_I don't know about you but I'm trying of too much sugary stuff popping up, no offense to the writers._

_Horatio and his team (c) CBS, Daikonran and Secondet (c) my sister, plot (c) me_

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8.

Handling the media is never easy especially when the public's opinion is against the situation. That day was no different as the reporters swarmed the main entrance of the lab; all asking painfully similar questions.

"Are there any suspects in consideration?" "What exactly happened to Jake Lai?" "Is there a threat to other residents to Sunset Boulevard?" "Was it a jealous ex-girlfriend?"

Horatio kept his stare cold and detached from any journalist, as he was taught to. His case was still in its infancy but the public wanted to tear it apart in favor of the deceased. They were still missing the murder weapon and the suspect pool all had costly lawyers to back them up. "Mr. Jake Lai was murdered in an empty lot a couple of yards outside Sunset Boulevard twelve hours at 04: 54 am. As of right now, we are examining witnesses and testing evidence. No further questions."

The frenzy began once more as the reporters clamored for more juicy information. Horatio stepped down from the provided podium as Public Relations stepped in. The lieutenant was hoping his team was having better luck with their individual tasks. He entered his glass-walled office and watched as Eric readied himself to face the Lai family, as Calleigh launched the DNA search on the cigarette butts.

* * *

To kill some time until his next call, Daikonran decided to clear the examination table and help Dr. Woods, not to mention Sexie, with their workload. It wasn't the first time he'd had to reverse a plastic surgery; Miami was the capital for unlicensed surgeons. It was another quirk that the city had that enamored him into staying; he'd always have work to do. He picked up a few instruments and proceeded to sterilize them. But something kept bothering the doctor's mind; the carbon and potassium based residue and the metal shavings.

Daikonran took a new scalpel from the storage units and observed it closely. A hunch told him that the exit wound was too deep to be a knife as he took a slab of pig meat used for experimental purposes. Kino then pierced the meat as if he were holding a switchblade; no match could be compared to the actual wound. _Ok, what sharp metallic object is there that could be covered in potassium and carbon-based garnish?_ His hematrophic eyes grew as he organized his thoughts and realized the answer to his own question. Kino quickly compared the wound and dialed Horatio's number.

* * *

"Caine." "It's a sword." Horatio's mind was still in the press conference but he played along. "Your murder weapon left a distinct pattern and entrance path unlike a knife or a switchblade." Daikonran elaborated as he replicated the stabbing motion of an average sword. Sure enough, the pig meat parted in a parallel wedge, contorting to the blade's shape. The lieutenant understood the implications. "A sword equals premeditation, meaning manslaughter's out of the question." "I have some sample weapons back at home. Do you want me to bring them in?" Kino smiled, satisfied at the experiment's results. "If you can." "Then I'll need Sexie's help." A knock on his door and Daikonran realized his help had just arrived in the shape of Ryan Wolfe.

"Mr. Wolfe, would you like to help me with an errand?"

* * *

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs. Lai." Eric began as the couple positively identified their son. They were a short couple, quite unlike their child, both very conservative and reserved in talking. The CSI had shown both before and after pictures with the latter provoking a tearful response. "My baby son…he always wanted to stand above the rest." Mary, the mother, managed to say through sobs.

"He befriended a lot of people due to my position. Some of them were nice but others were less than desirable in our household. Those were Jake's supposedly closest." Dan pointed out while comforting his wife. Their behavior reminded Delko of his own parents, mourning Marisol's untimely death.

"Could you list these companions?" he requested as he handed the couple a piece of paper. With a quivering hand, Mary took a pen and wrote down twelve names.

* * *

The DNA database search had been launched just five minutes prior; beeping just as Calleigh fixed her lab-required ponytail. Epithelial evidence matched to one 40-year-old Rodney Callejo; a hired bodyguard to the Straight family. Even though he was a live-in, he listed his cellphone as the only means of contact. Noting the burly demeanor projected by the picture, Duquesne smiled lightly.

_Looks like a man too big to be bossed around by such a petite girl. _

After a crosscheck, the line went dead and there went a possibility of an interview. Another window popped and his criminal history came up, noting aggression as a favorite. _At least we have a face and a ten card to go with it._ She pulled up all the fingerprints on the case and, one by one, began to compare them all. Again, no matches were found but the ballistics expert decided to search the whereabouts of this "particular interesting" person.

A quick knock on her door twenty minutes and Calleigh looked up to see her boss. The lieutenant silently motioned her to excuse herself from her work, Duquesne gladly walking out of her post. Horatio then did the same with Eric, who thanks to the Lais, had a list of Jake's contacts. They met up in the small conference room just besides the gun and weapons lab. "What's up, H?"

"This is what's up, ladies and gents." A familiarly cocky voice replied from inside. Daikonran had strewn on the lit table one of every type of sword in his domestic collection, causing both Delko and Wolfe's jaw to drop and Calleigh's eyes to widen.

"Wow." Was the only thing to come out of any of the CSIs.

* * *

A/N: Reviews are welcome


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